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Parallel processing in MATLAB allows you to execute operations concurrently using functions and tools specifically designed for this purpose. Two of the primary tools for parallel execution in MATLAB are parfor
and parfeval
, which enable users to perform tasks efficiently and with greater control.
parfor
for Parallel LoopsSuppose you want to calculate the square of numbers in a 1D array in parallel. Here’s how you can use parfor
:
matlabCopy codeN = 10; % Number of elements
numbers = 1:N; % Array of numbers
% Calculate the square of each number in parallel
parfor i = 1:N
square(i) = numbers(i) ^ 2;
end
disp(square);
In this example, the iterations of the loop are executed in parallel, significantly improving performance for large-scale computations.
parfeval
for Non-Blocking ExecutionIf you require more control over parallel execution or wish to execute tasks asynchronously, you can use the parfeval
function. Here’s an example:
matlabCopy codeN = 10; % Number of elements
numbers = 1:N; % Array of numbers
% Define a function for calculating the square of a number
squareFunc = @(x) x ^ 2;
% Create a parallel job for each number
futures = parallel.FevalFuture.empty(N, 0);
for i = 1:N
futures(i) = parfeval(@squareFunc, 1, numbers(i));
end
% Fetch the result of each job
square = zeros(1, N);
for i = 1:N
[completedIdx, value] = fetchNext(futures);
square(completedIdx) = value;
end
disp(square);
This method allows you to monitor the execution of each job and handle results as they become available.
parfeval
to run tasks without blocking the main MATLAB thread.parpool
command to create a parallel pool of workers.spmd
, distributed arrays, and parallel job management.By leveraging MATLAB’s parallel processing capabilities, you can significantly improve the performance and efficiency of your code for demanding applications.
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